Matsuo Toshimitsu
Profile
Performance in office
Tenure
Tenure
Background
He was among the first class to join Japan Airlines, in 1951. He served as President of the affiliates JAL Ryoko Kaihatsu and JAL Trading in turn, leaving the JAL Trading presidency in December 1985 to become Executive Vice President of the parent. During this period Japan Airlines ranked first in the world in passenger and cargo traffic in IATA statistics in 1983 and held that position for five years until 1987. A career employee who had moved among affiliates was called back to a parent that had passed the peak of its scale.
Selection
In June 1990 he succeeded Susumu Yamaji as President. From fiscal 1989 to fiscal 1990 the strong yen had taken hold, and fixed costs had swelled with rising labor costs and successive aircraft introductions. Comparing 1970 and 1991, capacity grew 8.1% a year against 2.2% a year for the fleet, so the option of absorbing fixed costs through larger aircraft had already been exhausted. A seat load factor of around 65%, the break-even dividing line, was considered healthy, and at the time it exceeded 70%. The appointment returned the presidency from a predecessor from the Ministry of Transport to a career employee.
Initiatives
After a consolidated ordinary loss of ¥6.9 billion in the fiscal year ended March 1992, losses widened in the FY ended March 1993 to a consolidated ordinary loss of ¥55.7 billion and a net loss of ¥47.9 billion. International passenger numbers fell from September 1992, and users of the top two classes, which earned about 60% of revenue, declined by more than 10% year on year. Toshimitsu first moved to stop the bleeding for the year, curbing bonuses and cutting investment and expenses. In January 1993 the company introduced a mileage program. The cost structure reform that began here supported the annual balance but did not reach the structure of the route network or labor relations.
Career
Career
Japan Airlines
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| 1951 | Joined |
| Jun 1990 | President |
| Jul 1995 | Stepped down as President |
JAL Shoji
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| Dec 1985 | Stepped down as President, Executive Vice President, Japan Airlines |